Automatic musical instrument.



R. KUSS.

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

L D N ll l9l6 R. KUSSG AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. II, me.

1 ,283,220. I Patented Oct. 29, i918..

y 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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. .Hi i 'fi UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLF` KUSS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO A. M. BOLLERMAN, INC., 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Application filed November 11, 1918.

To all whom t may concern.' y

Be it known that I, RUDOLF Kuss, a sub-l ject of the King of Germany, and resident of New York city, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Musical Instruments, of which the following is a spec1fica tion.

My invention has particular reference to improvements in striker mechanism of pneumatically operated devices for musical 1nstruments, and has for its object to provide simple and efficient means for supporting the striker pneumatics in such manner that they may be readily removed and replaced, as well as to permit ready access to the valves that control such pneumatics, and also to provide simple means for operation of such pneumatics.

My invention comprises novel details of improvement and combinations of parts that will be more fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein,

Figure l is a front elevation of a portion of an actionchest and exhaust chest, the

front wall of the action chest being partially in section;

Y Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2, 2, in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section-substantially on the line 3, 3, in Fig. l;

F ig. 4 is a view looking from the righthand side of Fig. 3, the front board of the action chest and the valve guides 14 being removed, and l Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are details hereinafter referred to.

At 1 is indicated the front board of an action chest7 and at 2 are striker pneumatics supported by the actionchest. I have illustrated the striker pneumatics as arranged in tiers, it being understood that any suitable number of such pneumatics may be arranged in a row in each tier. One of the features of my invention is that for each horizontal row of pneumatics there is a corresponding relatively narrow board 3, 4, 5, of the action chest, said boards being placed on edge and superimposed, and spaced from board 1 to provide an exhaust space 6 between such Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

Serial No. 130,695.

boards 1 and 3, 4, 5. The boards 3, 4, 5, may be secured together by glue and by screws or bolts a passing therethrough. I have shown longitudinal strips 7 8, that are secured respectively as by screws to the upper and lower boards 3 and 5 as well as end strips 9 extending across the boards 3, 4, 5 and secured thereto as illustrated in Fig. 4, the front board 5 being secured over said strips as by screws, providing the space 6. The blocks 2 of the striker pneumatics are secured to the corresponding .board 3, 4 or 5 by screws indicated at 10, whereby said blocks may be readily removed. Blocks 2a have channels 2l communicating respectively with the ports 2'2 of the corresponding pneumatics and with passages 11 drilled in the corresponding outer faces of the boards 3, 4, 5. The boards 3, 4, 5 also have vertical passages 12 drilled from their edges inwardly, the outer orificesv of which passages 12 of one board are closed by the opposing edge of the next board. This construction affords a simple, cheap and efficient arrangement for providing passages in the boards 3, 4, 5, for communication with the corresponding pneumatics, and enables ready access to such passages by merely disassembling boards 3, 4, 5. The inner ends of the passages 12 cach communicate with a corresponding recess 13, bored into the boards 3, 4, 5 from their inner faces, the outer portions of the recesses 13 being reduced at 13a. At 14 are perforated valve guides of any usual or suitable construction, shown seated in the ends of recesses 13 at chamber 6, and at 15 are perforated guide strips secured, as by screws 16 (Fig. 6'), to the boards 3, 4, 5, across the corresponding reduced recesses 13L to permit the admission of air to the recesses 13. Pairs of valves 16 and 17 are shown mounted upon stems 18, said valves being located within the correspondingV recesses 13. Said valves are so spaced upon stems 18 that the valves 16 will close against the openings of seats 14 to prevent admission of air to chamber' 6 the valve 17 then admitting air to the pneumatics through recesses 13. Said valves are also so arranged that when moved by reason of air passing through the tracker orices, the valves 17 will close the corresponding reduced recesses 13a and valves 16 will open the ports of seats 14 to the chamber 6 to cause exhaust through recesses 13 and passages 12, 11 and 2" from the corresponding striker pneumatics". The front board 1 is provided with a recess 19 opposing cach valve stem, over each of which recesses is secured a movable member or diaphragm 20 to coact with the corresponding valve stem 18 to .push the latter to shift the valves. In the front board 1 passages 21 are drilled to communicate with the upper horizontal row of recesses 19, and correspondingly passages 22 and 23V are drilled in board 1 to communicate respectively with the middle and lower horizontal rows of recesses 19, the passages 21, 22 and 23 having different lengths to reach to the corresponding rows of recesses 19. rl `he upper or outer ends of the passages 21, 22, 23 are closed by plugs 24. The upper portions of the passages 21, 22,23 also communicate with laterally disposed passages`25 drilled in the inner face of board 1 (Figs. 1 and 3). Passages 26 are drilled transversely through the upper strip 7 to register with the passages 25 (Fig. 3), and in the corresponding face of board 3, passages 27 are drilled to register with the passages 26. Passages 27 may be formed by drilling into the inner and upper surfaces of the board 3 to meet within the same, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The arrangement of the passages just described provides communication to each of the correspondingrecesses 19, 'from board 3 through strip 7 and through board 1, from the tubes ZJ that are to be connected with the oriices of a. tracker bar of a pneumatic player mechanism in any well known manner.

At 28 is indicated a wippen, at 29 a hammer, and at 29 a jack ofthe action of a piano, a striker pneumatic 2 being provided as usual for each of the wippens, all of which may be ofv any suitable'construction operating in a well known manner for striking strings of a piano. Above the wippens is a rail 30, which may be carried upon spaced arms 31 secured to board 3, as by bracket 32, (Fig. 3) and at 33 are adjustable stops, as of felt, carriedl by screws 34 working in threaded apertures in rail 30, there being one of such stops above each wippen to limit its movement by the .correspending striker pneumatic. By adjusting the stops 33` up or down the movement of a wippen by the corresponding striker pneumatic may be regulated. The stationary board 2d of each striker pneumatic is provided with a guide 35 having a guiding aperture 35a receiving a slidable stem 36 adapted to operate the corresponding wippen,`said stem being shown provided with a threaded rod 37'operated by the movable board 2e of the corresponding pneumatic.

I have shown the rod 37 as operative in a threaded aperture in a short shaft 33 (Figs. 3 and 7 the ends of which shaft are journaled in apertures in the forked end of a support 39 secured on the movable board 2e of the corresponding` striker pneumatic. Shaft 38 may be made of any suitable material, such as leather, to prevent noise and withstand wear. By rotating stem 36 and rod 37 the operating position thereof with respect to the wippen and the movable board of the striker pneumatic may be regulated, and as said board moves the shaft 38 may rock in its bearings.

The action chest comprising the boards 1, 3, e, 5, etc., is shown connected at one end to a chest Ll0 in communication with space 6 of the action chest through the relatively narrow passage -l1. By means of pipe @L2 chest 40 may be connected with an exhaust chest 43 shown provided with a bellows -14 and pedal in an ordinary manner,l for inducing exhaust through the action chest.

The action chest may be detachably snpported in a musical instrument or piano in any suitable manner. By means ofiny improvements, whenever it is desired to gain access to the valves 16, 17, or thc diaphragins 20, or to remove any of the striker pneumatics, it is merely necessary to remove the front board 1 of the action chest`r whereupon the valve stems 13. the seats 14;, and the screws 10 may be readily reached, whereby any of the valves may be removed, or the striker pneumatics may be nnscrewed and removed as desired. It also will be understood, when the action chest is ont of the piano that by removing the separate boards 3. 4, 5, the striker pnenmatics attached thereto may be removed therewith bodily. By 'forming the passages 11, 12 and chambers 13 in the separate boards 3, a, 5, as described, the construction of this portion of my invention is simplified and cheapened, and, since said boards may be secured together by screws, as before described, the boards may be removed and replaced expeditiously. lVhile I have illustrated three boards and tiers of recesses 13 arranged in three horizontal rows, it will be understood that the number of rows and the number of such recesses in a tier may bevaried in accordance with the number ofv the boards, such, as 3, 4, 5, as are secured together in the manner stated.

Having now described my invention what I claim is 1. In an action chest, the combination of a board, aplurality of superimposed boa-rds, means spacing the firstand last named boards :rpart providing` a. space therebetween,th'e second named boards having recesses, passages leading. from the edges of said boards to said recesses and covered at their outer ends by adjacent boards, and

pneumatics secured upon the outer faces of said boards, the latter having passages for communicating with the pneumatics and with said passages in the boards.

2. In anaction chest the combination of a board, a plurality of superimposed boards, means spacing the first and last named boards apart lproviding a space therebetween, the second named boards having recesses, passages leading from the edges of said boards to said recesses and covered at their outer ends by adjacent boards, and pneumatics secured upon the outer faces of said boards, said boards being Vprovided with passages entering said faces and communicating with the pneumatics and with the lirst named passages in said boards.

3. In an action chest, the combination of a board, a plurality of superimposed boards, means spacing the first and last named boards apart providing a space therebetween, the second named boards having recesses, passages leading from the edges of said boards to said recesses and covered at their outer ends by adjacent boards, pneumatics secured upon the outer faces ot' said boards, the latter having passages for communicating with the pneumatics and with said passages in the boards, valves provided with stems in said receses, and guides for said stems, said lirst named board having pneumatically operating means to operate said valves respectively.

Ll. In an action chest, the combination oi a board, a plurality of superimposed boards, means spacing the firstand last named boards apart providing a space therebetween, the second named boards having recesses, passages leading from the edges of said boards to said recesses and covered at their outer ends by adjacent boards, pneumatics secured upon said boards, the latter having passages for communieating` with the pneumatics and with said passages in the boards, valves provided with stems in said recesses, guides for said stems, the first named board having recesses, and movable members opposing said recesses and said stems, said board having channels communicating with said recesses.

5. In an action chest, the combination of a board, a plurality of superimposed boards, means spacing the first and last named boards apart providing a space therebetween, the second named boards having recesses, passages leading from the edges of said boards to said recesses and covered at their outer ends by adjacent boards, pneumatics secured upon said boards, the latter having passages for communicating with the pneumatics and with said passages in the boards, valves provided with stems in said recesses, guides for said stems, the first named board having recesses corresponding to the recesses first named, and diaphragms over said recesses to operate said stems, said board having channels communicating rcspeetively with its recesses.

6. In an action chest the combination of a board, a plurality of superimposed boards, means securing said boardstogether on edge, strips spacing thc first and last named boards apart providing a space therebetween, the second named boards each having a row of spaced recesses and having passages leading from the edges of said boards to said recesses, said passages being covered at their outer ends by adjacent boards, and pneumatics secured upon said boards corresponding to said recesses, said boards having recesses communicating with the pneumatics and with said passages in the boards.

7. In an action chest the combination of' a board, a plurality of superimposed boards, means securing said boards together on edge, strips spacing the first andlast named boards apart providing a space therebetween, the second named boards each having a row spaced of recesses and having passages leading from the edges of said boards to said recesses, said passages being covered at their outer ends by adjacent boards, pneumatics secured upon said boards corresponding to said recesses, said boards having channels communicating with the pneumatics and with said passages in the boards, valve stems in said recesses, valves upon said stems spaced apart in said recesses, the first named board having recesses opposing said stems, diaphragms over said recesses to co-` act with said stems, said board having passages respectively communicating with said recesses and opening through a face of the board, one et' said strips having passages communicating with the last named passages, and means to connect tubes to said passages.

S. In an action chest the combination of a board, a plurality of superimposed boards, means securing said boards together on edge, strips spacing the first and last named boards apart providing a space therebetween, the second named boards each having a row of spaced recesses and having passages leading from the edges of said boards to said recesses, said passages being covered at their outer ends by adjacent boards, pneumatics secured upon said boards corresponding to said recesses, said boards having recesses communicating with the pneumatics and with said passages in the boards, valve stems in said recesses, valves upon said stems spaced apart in said recesses, the first named boards having recesses opposing said stems, diaphragms over said recesses to coaet with said stems, said board having passages respectively con'imunicating with said recesses and opening through a face of the board,

one of Said strips having passages Commu- Signedv at New York city, in the county noatlng with the last named passages, one of New York, and State of New York, thls or the iirst named boards having passages i-th day or October', A. D. 1916.

communicating With the passages 1u said RUDOLF KUSS. strip, and means to Connect the passages of fitnessz said last named board Wlth a Juraoker. MARIE F. VAINRIGHT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patenti, Washington, D. C. 

